Ideas for DIY stand for 25gal Lagoon

Hello all- Just bought an IM 25 gallon Lagoon tank and have been looking for stand to setup the aquarium. I have looked at IM stands but I don't think the price match the quality of the stand. Another option is the JBL stand, but I am still on the fence about it.

Wondering if anyone in this forum attempted to build a custom stand for this aquarium and would love to hear some ideas regarding it.

There's a number of guys and shops in the area that do custom stands, although if you have a good relationship with your local LFS you might ask them about a discount on the IM Lagoon stand. I know that a month or so ago IM was severely over-stocked on stands and offering them almost free to to stores with orders of tanks. That might still be the case and it's possible they can just get you a discounted stand. For the record, I have two IM stands on my tanks and love them. They hold up well and both still look like new. I haven't seen that with other cheaper stands. Most start to get "dated" and look old after a few years. The finish on the IM's is excellent.

Depending upon the level of your handiness, you can certainly get a steel frame stand made and then skin it with something you find desirable.
Another option is 8020 aluminum, it's like an erector set... and also expensive like them, but it is more DIY friendly and with the T-slots you could easily have attachment points for your exterior facade.
Lastly there's wood, tried and true. Something as small as a 25g tank I would NOT use 2x4 material, 3/4" plywood should be more than plenty.

8020 if you don't mind spending the money. Don't have that aquarium, but built this last weekend (45x27x40), which like Mike said is an erector set. Legos for adults that can be pulled apart as needed.

8020 if you don't mind spending the money. Don't have that aquarium, but built this last weekend (45x27x40), which like Mike said is an erector set. Legos for adults that can be pulled apart as needed.

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So with something like this can you just "skin" it with removable panels that hang wityh some type of fastener to each side? It's aluminum so magnets won't work, but is there something else that would look good and "finished?"

So with something like this can you just "skin" it with removable panels that hang wityh some type of fastener to each side? It's aluminum so magnets won't work, but is there something else that would look good and "finished?"

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Yes, you can put some french cleats and use that to hang panels on the rails if you want. That'll allow you to pop them off. You can also mount magnets directly onto the 8020 and use those. You can also use panel sliders and stick some PVC panels if you want. The options are plentiful and really depends on how much trouble and money you want to spend on the stand.

Here's another one that my buddy built about a week before I put mine together. He used 1" tubes versus the 1.5" tubes that I used.

That's the frame for his frag tank - 24x22 footprint. He added some light hangers for a chinese LED light system (tapped the aluminum bar for some eye hooks and he was done with the hanging).

Yes, eventually, but I'm still looking at the different options. The stand is way oversized for the current tank (30x20 footprint), but it's done so for down the line usage (eventual 36x24 or 40x24). I'm planning on skinning all four sides with a dedicated area on the right side sectioned off for the electricals. I'll also be building a new sump so that's probably the next project on my priority list.

There's a number of guys and shops in the area that do custom stands, although if you have a good relationship with your local LFS you might ask them about a discount on the IM Lagoon stand. I know that a month or so ago IM was severely over-stocked on stands and offering them almost free to to stores with orders of tanks. That might still be the case and it's possible they can just get you a discounted stand. For the record, I have two IM stands on my tanks and love them. They hold up well and both still look like new. I haven't seen that with other cheaper stands. Most start to get "dated" and look old after a few years. The finish on the IM's is excellent.

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Unfortunately, the closely LFS is Neptune and I hardly spent enough there that they will offer me discounts. Do you know anyone that does custom stands in the hobby?

8020 if you don't mind spending the money. Don't have that aquarium, but built this last weekend (45x27x40), which like Mike said is an erector set. Legos for adults that can be pulled apart as needed.

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It looks cool but that's way outside my budget. I think I would stick with wood or plywood.

You can use PVC sheets if you want something that's good looking and durable. I've seen some people use kitchen backsplash tiles as well, which is interesting.

The cost above is for a large stand. The one that my buddy built is more along the lines of $250. Way overkill for most people but for something that's modular and can last for awhile, the costs aren't too bad.